# I'm mad at my theiving son, so I'm going to destroy a billion dollars worth of art **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 20, 2002, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-mad-at-my-theiving-son-so-im-going-to-destroy-a-billion-dollars-worth-of-art/109973 "2002-05-20T17:42:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-mad-at-my-theiving-son-so-im-going-to-destroy-a-billion-dollars-worth-of-art/109973/21 "2002-05-21T00:19:18Z")
> [@](#): > > I feel that, in terms of pillaging our comon heritage, this woman ranks right up alongside the Talliban. eh, sorry, no. Yes, this is a disaster. an absolute disaster, but in no way is this art worth one human life, so please get some perspective. ---
**Author:** ![Wikkit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c0e974/32.png) [@Wikkit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wikkit)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-mad-at-my-theiving-son-so-im-going-to-destroy-a-billion-dollars-worth-of-art/109973/22 "2002-05-21T00:38:08Z")
> [@](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > I feel that, **in terms of pillaging our comon heritage** , this woman ranks right up alongside the Talliban. > > eh, sorry, no. > > Yes, this is a disaster. an absolute disaster, but in no way is this art worth one human life, so please get some perspective. (bolding mine) Tranq didn’t say anything about human life, it was specifically about common heritage. I agree with that sentiment. This one act of destruction may rival all the acts of art destruction by the Taliban. Killing bad, art good, destroying art bad, making comparisons between killing and destroying art bad. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-mad-at-my-theiving-son-so-im-going-to-destroy-a-billion-dollars-worth-of-art/109973/23 "2002-05-21T02:17:07Z")
As I’ve heard other Dopers say in the past, “Its just stuff.” Marc ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-mad-at-my-theiving-son-so-im-going-to-destroy-a-billion-dollars-worth-of-art/109973/24 "2002-05-21T02:52:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Wikkit \* > > Tranq didn’t say anything about human life, it was specifically about common heritage. I agree with that sentiment. This one act of destruction may rival all the acts of art destruction by the Taliban. > > Killing bad, art good, destroying art bad, making comparisons between killing and destroying art bad. \*\* Destroying art wasn’t the worst thing the Taliban ever did, nor is it the thing they’re best known for. So it was a bad comparison in the first place. That’s pretty much like saying ‘in terms of taking nice artwork that didn’t belong to him, that thief was right up there with the Nazis’. Superficially true, but meaningless. And yeah I know about Godwin but I don’t care 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-mad-at-my-theiving-son-so-im-going-to-destroy-a-billion-dollars-worth-of-art/109973/25 "2002-05-21T03:03:56Z")
Well, as I see it, a work of art as two types of value. One is an artifact: a physical object that has been around for centuries. The other is as an idea: a thought or image that the artist is communicating to his audience. As an artifact, any work of art has a limited lifespan. Even under the most carefully controlled conditions, everything has a limited lifespan. How much longer can the Mona Lisa hold together? A century? Two? On the other hand, as an idea, the Mona Lisa will stick around a lot longer. It’s the single most well known painting in history. Long after the canvas is dust, the image will remain. Now with digital storage, it may very well be immortal: any number of images can be perfectly reproduced, and copies made from those copies, and so forth. Now, I’m not trying to excuse this woman’s actions. Hell, destroying 1.2 billion dollars worth of _anything_ is a crying shame. But I think the greater value of these paintings lay in the idea of them, their exsistence as an act of creation that can be reproduced and preserved long past the demise of the original. And that’s a value that this woman couldn’t possible touch. Or, as **MGibson** said, it’s just stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-mad-at-my-theiving-son-so-im-going-to-destroy-a-billion-dollars-worth-of-art/109973/26 "2002-05-21T03:33:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TwistofFate \* > \*\*eh, sorry, no. > > Yes, this is a disaster. an absolute disaster, but in no way is this art worth one human life, so please get some perspective. \*\* Um, sorry, but _read_ the post: > [@](#): > > **…in terms of pillaging our comon heritage…** I didn’t say shit about life. Just heritage. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-mad-at-my-theiving-son-so-im-going-to-destroy-a-billion-dollars-worth-of-art/109973/27 "2002-05-21T08:10:38Z")
Dammit, if she had to destroy art, why couldn’t it have been a couple of Jackson Pollocks? ---
**Author:** ![Largo62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@Largo62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Largo62)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-mad-at-my-theiving-son-so-im-going-to-destroy-a-billion-dollars-worth-of-art/109973/28 "2002-05-21T09:53:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TwistofFate \* > \*\*Yes, this is a disaster. an absolute disaster, but in no way is this art worth one human life, so please get some perspective. \*\* I disagree. Murderers are executed, at least in some states, and rightfully so. Someone who destroys a work of art is worse than a murderer. S/he has “murdered” more than a person, but the essence which could have gone on. A work of art is more than its creator, often better than its creator. It certainly is not “just stuff,” as **MGibson** suggests. Now if only we could agree on what _ **is** _ a work of art. ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-mad-at-my-theiving-son-so-im-going-to-destroy-a-billion-dollars-worth-of-art/109973/29 "2002-05-21T10:24:26Z")
Tranquillis, my apologies, I misread your text. On reflection I would agree that this womans destruction of the art is equivalent to the Taliban’s destruction of Buddist shrines and Statues. > [@](#): > > I disagree. Murderers are executed, at least in some states, and rightfully so. Someone who destroys a work of art is worse than a murderer. S/he has “murdered” more than a person, but the essence which could have gone on. A work of art is more than its creator, often better than its creator. It certainly is not “just stuff,” as MGibson suggests. I most certainly agree that art is more than “just stuff”, but I do not value any work of art as more important than a human life. ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-mad-at-my-theiving-son-so-im-going-to-destroy-a-billion-dollars-worth-of-art/109973/30 "2002-05-21T10:47:19Z")
I agree with **Tranquilis**. In terms of robbing the world of its art heritage, what this woman did _is_ on a par with the Taleban blowing up the giant Buddhas. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-mad-at-my-theiving-son-so-im-going-to-destroy-a-billion-dollars-worth-of-art/109973/31 "2002-05-21T12:25:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TwistofFate \* > \*\*Tranquillis, my apologies, I misread your text. On reflection I would agree that this womans destruction of the art is equivalent to the Taliban’s destruction of Buddist shrines and Statues. > \*\* Peace. It’s cool, and I’ve been a little cranky. Sorry about that. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-mad-at-my-theiving-son-so-im-going-to-destroy-a-billion-dollars-worth-of-art/109973/32 "2002-05-21T12:26:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Doghouse Reilly \* > \*\*Dammit, if she had to destroy art, why couldn’t it have been a couple of Jackson Pollocks? \*\* A friend of mine commented that the only good thing about the September 11 attacks was that they did away with some Roy Lichtensteins. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-mad-at-my-theiving-son-so-im-going-to-destroy-a-billion-dollars-worth-of-art/109973/33 "2002-05-21T13:39:29Z")
See, it wasn’t _really_ worth 1.4bil, really it was more like a few thou. Cos it was like, just pictures. ---
**Author:** ![Largo62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@Largo62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Largo62)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-mad-at-my-theiving-son-so-im-going-to-destroy-a-billion-dollars-worth-of-art/109973/34 "2002-05-21T19:02:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TwistofFate \* > \*\*I most certainly agree that art is more than “just stuff”, but I do not value any work of art as more important than a human life. \*\* I don’t think that’s what I said. Given the choice of whether to destroy a painting or kill a person, of course I’d save the person. But what I was talking about was punishment for a crime. I think the maniac who hammered the Pietá was a far worse criminal than if he had done the same thing to the person Michelangelo Buonarroti. Michelangelo is long since dust, as we all one day will be, but his creation _could_ last forever. To destroy the creation is a greater crime than to destroy the artist. Just my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2002, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-mad-at-my-theiving-son-so-im-going-to-destroy-a-billion-dollars-worth-of-art/109973/35 "2002-05-21T21:39:04Z")
> [@](#): > > A friend of mine commented that the only good thing about the September 11 attacks was that they did away with some Roy Lichtensteins. I hope it wasn’t the main objective of the attack. There’s one of these things in the building I work in… ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-mad-at-my-theiving-son-so-im-going-to-destroy-a-billion-dollars-worth-of-art/109973/36 "2002-05-22T01:09:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by matt\_mcl \* > \*\* > > A friend of mine commented that the only good thing about the September 11 attacks was that they did away with some Roy Lichtensteins. \*\* ROTFLMAO!!! ---
**Author:** ![Largo62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@Largo62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Largo62)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-mad-at-my-theiving-son-so-im-going-to-destroy-a-billion-dollars-worth-of-art/109973/37 "2002-05-22T07:25:03Z")
AYSFLYHTUAELA? \* \ ***ARE YOU SO FUCKING LAZY YOU HAVE TO USE AN EIGHT-LETTER ACRONYM?** :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-mad-at-my-theiving-son-so-im-going-to-destroy-a-billion-dollars-worth-of-art/109973/38 "2002-05-22T07:31:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DesertGeezer \* > \*\*AYSFLYHTUAELA? \* > > \ ***ARE YOU SO FUCKING LAZY YOU HAVE TO USE AN EIGHT-LETTER ACRONYM?** > > :rolleyes: \*\* WTF? ---
**Author:** ![Largo62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@Largo62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Largo62)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-mad-at-my-theiving-son-so-im-going-to-destroy-a-billion-dollars-worth-of-art/109973/39 "2002-05-22T18:52:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Doghouse Reilly \* > \*\*WTF? \*\* WTF=Waste Treatment Facility? How about World Tennis Federation? Or one of thirteen other hits on the Acronym Finder. (Actually, I get that one. :rolleyes: ) The point is, why bother posting at all if your entire post is an acronym that may or may not make sense to readers? Does **Tuckerfan** assume that Dopers keep a comprehensive list of eight-letter acronyms in their heads? Whatever happened to words, phrases, even the odd cliché? Maybe I’m just suffering from the generalized loss of memory that comes with geezerhood. But I would really appreciate posters taking the time to _ **write the fucking words!** _ ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2002, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-mad-at-my-theiving-son-so-im-going-to-destroy-a-billion-dollars-worth-of-art/109973/40 "2002-05-22T19:02:54Z")
Miller, BlackKnight, MGibson: You guys really need to develop a sense of aesthetics. Great art IS NOT mere stuff. Kill the cunt. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-mad-at-my-theiving-son-so-im-going-to-destroy-a-billion-dollars-worth-of-art/109973.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-mad-at-my-theiving-son-so-im-going-to-destroy-a-billion-dollars-worth-of-art/109973.md?page=3)